As a part of adopting the culture to start the production of non-traditional crops locally, Guyana in a few weeks will commence the trial to test 15 varieties of wheat. This will help to determine the best quality that can be produced locally and this project will be led by local scientist Mahendra Persaud, says Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha.
“We are in contact with our counterpart, especially in Mexico, we are looking at a different variety of wheat. I am hoping that by the end of this month or by next month latest we can have the first trial with about 10 or 15 varieties of wheat to see the best one that can be grown in Guyana” he said.
According to the Minister, region eight seems like the best possible place for the growth of this non-traditional crop but posited that researchers from the Burma Rice Research Station are identifying other possible areas.
The wheat can also be grown at the rice station as the Minister noted that there is a vast amount of land there.
Ukraine which is currently being invaded by Russia produces about 30% of the world’s wheat and as such many countries globally have been faced with wheat shortages,
The Agriculture Minister maintains that such events have prodded Guyana to be more self-sufficient.
“We are very determine that as long the trial is successful we are going to produce our own wheat because we can’t depend too much on import and as a country, we have to ensure that we produce our own food.”
Guyana’s local flour has seen a 15% increase since last month. However, Minister Mustapha believes that more local food production means a better quality of life for all Guyanese.
